Christmas day had arrived and with it everyone in the town rose early from their beds. There was much to prepare for in readiness for the momentous feast and festive festivities set to take place at three that afternoon. While some inhabitants of the town made anything from finishing touches to last minute wrapping of their Christmas presents, others commenced making a dish or dishes of food to take with them to the party in the Town Hall function room. Of those on duty patrolling the town there was much excitement in their chatter and footsteps crunching on freshly fallen snow. Atop their heads they wore novelty hats, a stark contrast to their usual seriousness and bleak uniforms.
Within the function room a small party of Network officers got to work organising tables and chairs, following the Mayor and Bessie's seating plan and adding their own touches to each place befitting the person it belonged to. All around them walls were strung with lights glittering in different colours, webbed together into an elaborate maze guiding eyes to a huge Christmas tree in the corner laden with candles. It was their gift to the town. A thank you for accepting them and making them feel as though they belonged there. It felt like home to them and despite their training its inhabitants had become their friends.
In amongst the hustle and bustle within the houses festive songs could be heard being sung in a cacophony of sound. No one house sang the same song, nor did they sing it in the same way as any other. Their voices rose into the sky above and the ears of those within their floating homes. Stepping out onto the platforms made by their open doors they listened intently, humming their own tunes.
Waving at his mother and father, Sportacus moved back into his airship. Surveying his home he smiled at the decorations surrounding him. Behind him he could hear tinkling as his niece played distractedly with a bauble that seemed to refuse to stay up no matter what they tried to get it to stay. He smiled as he turned around and saw her lying on her back on the floor, throwing the bauble up in the air and catching it. He was glad that she was there despite imploring her to go home and wake up on Christmas morning with her fiancé, 'daddy' and house guest in the form of Doctor Cole. She had refused, standing strong in the ideal that he shouldn't wake alone, spending the morning without company until friends gathered on the ground below before the party.
"I have something for you." Robyn told him suddenly, sitting up and setting aside the bauble.
Surprise and excitement played on Sportacus' face as he asked, "What?"
"You'll find it in your sports stuff cupboard."
Flipping over to his sports equipment storage unit, Sportacus pushed the small button on the wall beside it to open the door. Inside, rested on one row of pegs was a square package wrapped in lilac paper. He gently lifted it out, holding it in his hands. Inside the wrapping it felt like something hard. Looking at Robyn he saw her motion for him to open it. Gently unwrapping the paper he felt tears spring to his eyes as he saw what lay beneath it. In silent reverence he looked from it to her and then to it again. Nestled inside an ornate frame was a picture.
It was the photograph that had so long ago been destroyed in the fire of their time of conflict.
"How?" He whispered, unable to speak in a higher volume lest he wake himself up from the dream he was sure he must be having.
Robyn smiled and stood up, walking over to her uncle she explained. "I found the negative a while ago. When we went to Greentown I brought it with me, you were too swamped with fans to notice me and grandma go into the photo shop to get it redeveloped. Grumpy is going to get a copy too when he opens his presents."
"This...this is amazing!"
"I thought you'd like it." Robyn laughed as Sportacus grabbed her and locked her in one of his favourite rib cracking hugs and kissing her temple.
Two letter canisters in hand, Kit whistled as he headed towards the mail box. One canister held a Christmas card for Nine and Yuliya while the other held a special surprise for Robyn. Loading the first one into the chute he fired it up into Sportacus' airship before loading the second one and sending it flying towards Nine's. Smiling to himself and still whistling he looked up, tapping his foot as he waited patiently for a response.
Sportacus released Robyn from the hug when a letter popped up through the floor and she grabbed the canister. Unscrewing the top she pulled out the contents and raised an eyebrow as she read the card inside it.
Putting the card back in the canister, Robyn shrugged and called for the platform to go down as she stood on the circle. As it lowered she saw Kit waving and climbed down the ladder to meet him.
"Merry Christmas Robs!" Kit greeted her with a kiss as she jumped from the ladder.
"Same to you," Robyn responded in kind before holding up the canister and noticed Kit giving her a cheeky grin.
"Did you get it?" He asked her, moving close to her and waggling his eyebrows.
Robyn smiled and rested the canister on her shoulder, "Oh I got it, but I don't think it was for me. You sent us Grumpy's Christmas card."
Kit's cheeky grin fell suddenly into its polar opposite as he looked up and saw Nine standing on his platform, his face visibly red even from the distance away that he was. Having spotted Kit, Nine began to climb down the ladder at speed.
"I'm dead," Kit mumbled before running off with Nine in hot pursuit.
"What's going on now?" Sportacus asked as he landed behind Robyn.
"Just what I was trying to work out." Robyn answered and spotting her grandmother climbing down the ladder to her airship, waved.
Reaching the ground, Yuliya waved back and walked over. "I think this might explain it," she offered reaching into her jacket pocket and handing Robyn the second letter canister.
Biting her bottom lip, Robyn unscrewed the canister lid and a badly rolled up note popped up which read, "Hi Sexy, just a little something from me in case you miss me this morning ;) love Kit xxxxxx."
Peeking inside the canister she burst out laughing, prompting Sportacus to try and see what she was laughing at. She tried ineffectually to keep it from him as he tried to get it from her but after a few seconds he quickly grabbed it and looked inside. It only took one glance for him to set his jaw, shake his head, do his signature move and go running after Kit, canister still in hand.
Smiling at her grandmother, Robyn handed her the canister Kit had sent her by mistake, "I think this might be for you."
"To Nine and Yuliya, Merry Christmas and a happy new year (though I have no doubt about that because you'll be here with all the fam, wink wink) lots of love from Kit xxxxxxxxx." Yuliya read out loud as she pulled the card from the canister. "Awww, that's lovely of him. How long do you think he'll be able to run for this time?"
No sooner had Yuliya asked the question; Kit ran onto a patch of icy road and skidded. Losing his footing he tumbled headlong into a lamppost and went still. Seeing Kit make impact with the lamppost both heroes hit the same patch of ice and with their boots managed to retain their footing as they skidded to a stop by him. Robyn ran straight over as Yuliya motioned for one of the patrolling Network officers to summon the doctor who came to their aid as quickly as he could.
Kneeling beside the unconscious Kit, Sportacus and Nine pulled him up into a sitting position and leant him against the lamppost. This shift in position roused him and he moaned, clutching his head as Doctor Cole awkwardly lowered himself to a kneeling position. Gently prising Kit's hand from his head, Doctor Cole inspected the area and reaching into his bag grabbed a dressing that he placed on a gash that had been inflicted during Kit's fall. As his patient moaned again and opened his eyes he sat back a little.
"I'm sure I've told you plenty of times that winding people up would end in tears one day." Doctor Cole scolded before altering his tone, "I think you know the drill by now, I'm going to ask you some questions and we'll see if any damage has been done. What's your name?"
Kit thought for a moment before replying, "Jesus."
"Age?" Doctor Cole asked doubtfully.
"Two thousand and something years old. It's my birthday today!" Kit replied cheerfully.
Nine frowned deeply, "Is he being serious?"
"No, no I'm not." Kit laughed before wincing, unable to keep up the pretence anymore. "I had you going for a minute there though."
"Yeah you did. Just try to be a little more careful next time." Sportacus advised before helping Kit up and helping him walk back across the ice patch to safer ground.
Nine and Robyn helped Doctor Cole to stand and they moved carefully across the ice patch to join the others.
"Now where were we?" Kit thought out loud before quickly hobbling off, leaving both Sportacus' looking at each other and shaking their heads.